57

Arthur POV

I never expected to see Julianne in Jasmine's room. The tension between those two was always thick, like oil and water, never mixing. But there she was, standing rooted in the room, staring back at me in surprise; she would have thought no one would find her in Jasmine's room, which made me wonder what the hell she was doing in Jasmine's room all alone.

"Arthur," Julianne said, looking at me with a raised brow, her voice nervous but shocked. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

I tried to keep my tone steady, but I could hear the concern creeping in. "I could ask the same for you but never mind. I came to check on Jasmine and my unborn baby. I just want to make sure everything's all right with the both of them," I said, glancing at the bed, which was made already and did not look like anyone had slept on it.

When I said it, I realized it sounded more like a real reason than an excuse. Julianne noticed the shift in my mood, and I could see the change in her eyes too. It wasn’t anger, exactly—it was disappointment.

Her facial expression and eyes seems to be saying a lot of thing's. "Arthur, you've been distant lately. Not just with Jasmine, but with everything too."

Her words hit me like a punch in the stomach. I had been distant, hadn’t I? Between all the chaos going around the pack, the realization hit me so hard that I noticed I had not been paying attention to Julianne and Antonia like they so much deserved. I have been so caught up with this new feeling of Jasmine being pregnant and expecting a baby, which I so hope would be a boy.

"I’m sorry," I said, my voice sincere. "You’re right. I’ve been… I haven’t been the husband and father I should be to you and Antonia. I don't have any excuse to explain and make up for what I did; I’ve been focused on so many other things; an Alpha role is not easy, my dear. And I’m sorry." I was pleased, my eyes held a tone of sincerity and apology, and I prayed she understood.

Julianne didn't respond immediately. And I didn't wait for her response, Instead, I reached up, cupped her face gently, and pulled her closer. I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of her body touch mine. Without thinking, I leaned down and kissed her.

I could feel her body stiffen at first, as if she wasn’t sure whether she should let herself be close to me after what I did, but then she relaxed into it. The kiss was soft, and for a moment, everything else seemed to disappear—the tension, the worries, the guilt. Just her and me.

But then, the sound of the door opening broke the silence. I pulled away, turning to see Jasmine standing there, her face a picture of shock and anger. Her eyes locked onto Julianne, and I could see her fists clenching at her sides.

"What the hell is this?! I'm my room, what is going on here" Jasmine yelled, her voice high-pitched and furious. And then, on impulse, she pointed a finger at Julianne, "Julianne, get out of here! Get the fuck out of my room with your bitch body."

I took a step toward her, trying to calm the situation before it escalated further. "Jasmine, stop it," I said, my voice stern. "This isn’t the time for this."

She didn’t listen, her eyes wide and full of rage. "No! You don’t get to do this! Not after everything that’s happened! I am carrying your baby, and all your attention, love, and care should be transferred to the both of us and not this thing here." Her words slapped me across the face, the insult hit me like a blast of iced water.

I couldn’t understand why she was reacting like this. Was it jealousy? Fear? Or just pure frustration? Or was it the pregnancy hormones? I tried to reason with her, but I couldn’t find the right words.

"Jasmine, please," I said, my voice softer, "Just calm down. You need to think clearly; you do have to stress yourself over this matter."

But instead of calming down, her face grew even redder, and she stormed forward. "No, Arthur! You’re unbelievable! After everything, even as I am carrying your baby, you are going to choose her, you still choose her over me! "

Her words stung more than I expected. There was so much pain in them, so much hurt. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

"I’m not choosing anyone, Jasmine," I said firmly, though I could feel the tightness in my chest. "But right now, I need to go. Julianne is my wife, and I’m not going to just walk away from her."

Jasmine stood there, speechless, but her glare could have burned a hole right through me. Without saying another word, I turned and walked out of the room, Julianne following closely behind me.

Once we were out of the room, I paused for a moment to take a deep breath. Julianne, however, walked ahead of me, her steps slow as j told her to walk along, not after seeing Jeremy, who was roaming around the quarters in the middle of the night.

"Jeremy, what’s going on with you?" I asked suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. He jumped and turned to look at me, his expression frightful and funny.

"Jeremy?" I repeated. "What is wrong with you?" Jeremy glanced over my shoulder but remained silent. "You have been acting strange lately. I saw you sneaking around, and looking all suspicious. "

"Do I make it so obvious for you to understand?" He questioned, crooking the corner of his eyes to watch me deliberately.

"Do you have someone you like, and you see in the pack house, and you have not told me yet? Is she a maid?" I joked, slapping my arms across his back while he hissed out in annoyance.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke, or are you seriously asking me this now?" Jeremy bites out the word staring at me.

"I am your brother, don't forget, you can confide in me whomever it is you are have been sneaking sound in the middle of the night to see or watch or whatever." I laughed, finding it all funny and weird, too.

And there was a faint sound due

to my wolf's ability. Something was moving in the shadows; it was like a male figure. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered to Jeremy, my heart racing.

He froze too, glancing around. "What do you mean?" his voice was low, cautious.

I nodded in the direction of the dark hallway ahead of us. "Someone is moving around. I saw a male figure move in the direction of the hall. Move Quietly. Let’s go check it out."

We both moved stealthily down the corridor, making sure our footsteps were soft and unnoticed. The shadows seemed to shift and stretch around us, but I couldn’t make out anything. Whoever it was, they were good at hiding. And they are doing the job so perfectly and nicely.

I signaled for Jeremy to stay quiet and moved closer to me whilst his eyes were in search of whomever this figure might be. The figure was ahead of us now, walking fast, but not running. I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell it was a man. The shape of his movements, the way he held himself, it was a man’s walk.

We followed him through the dark halls, our steps barely a whisper. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a feeling that whatever was happening now had to do with something important. Something that couldn’t be ignored.

The figure turned a corner and we lost sight of him for a second. I motioned to Jeremy to stay close as we followed.

Eventually, he stopped outside a door. I froze, holding my breath as I realized it was Antonnia’s room, my daughter's room.

"What is he doing here? What could he be looking for in Antonnia's room, or what connections could the both of them have?" I muttered to myself.

Before I could make a move, the figure disappeared into the room. I could hear the faintest creak of the door as it closed behind him.

"Come on, hurry," I whispered urgently to Jeremy. "We need to get in there before he does something bad to Antonia. I will never forgive myself if something bad happens to her within my reach."

I moved quickly, but quietly, trying to get to the door before anything happened. But when I pushed it open, there was no one there. The room was empty. I stepped inside, scanning the room, but it was quiet. Antonia was asleep, her breathing soft and steady.

I stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of what I’d just seen. There was no sign of the stranger, nothing to explain his presence.

I turned to Jeremy, my mind racing. "There’s nothing here. It’s like he disappeared; he seems to have faded out into the darkness."